This is a question that I frequently encounter, both in my professional and personal life. It’s a current discussion point, ranging from the commercial potential of developing an AI version of myself to the ethical issues surrounding the development and operation of generative AI companies. Although I haven’t been asked this directly, I believe it is something that many are considering. Even more, this is not just a question for the coaching industry; it’s popping up everywhere, from law to therapy, medicine, and marketing.
As you can imagine, I have LOTS of thoughts about the question:
What’s the point of paying for career advice when I can get it for free from ChatGPT?
Before I begin, while many other generative AIs are available, ChatGPT tends to be the go-to choice for many people. However, when reviewing this, consider all the tools you trust for both your personal and professional life.
I cannot represent the entire sector, and other career coaches and recruitment support; I can only reflect on my experience and skills. However, I imagine there are many points they would also agree with.
So, why is it better to pay for the expertise of a real, human career coach or recruitment professional, like me?
1. The best parts of my knowledge aren’t online.
Whilst I am known to “sneeze, and a blog shoots out,” the best bits of my knowledge aren’t online, or in my socials or podcasts. Therefore, none of the LLMs would have been trained on it! You are only getting the “light version” of the skills and expertise.
2. I don’t make things up.
Everything that I do is backed by training, fact-checking and keeping my information up to date. Therefore, if I don’t know, I won’t pretend that I do. In comparison, Generative AI has been found, and continues to, hallucinate. AI hallucination is when incorrect information, or totally made-up information, is presented as correct. In May 2025, it was revealed that OpenAI’s newest models were found to hallucinate between 30-50% of the time! A Confident hallucination is, at best, misleading, and at worst, completely incorrect. Imagine the damage that could do.
3. I learn and build on that knowledge.
I gain knowledge, make connections, and expand my horizons every day. Every time I coach, I build on my skills. Every book I read is compounded into my knowledge, and every workshop I run is tweaked based on who is “In the room” and the needs at the time. Most LLMs start afresh at every interaction, with no learning or development about who you are, what you need or what you have experienced.
4. I’m designed to challenge you.
Growth, understanding and self-development come from these questions and challenges. Gen AI is designed to maintain your attention by agreeing with you, rather than challenging you. Unless you are skilled and have the inclination to prompt the systems in a precise way, they will tell you what you want to hear.
5. I’m a human with real connections and a network.
Whilst the language may be the same, the outputs are different. I can bring real people together. When I work with you on career development, I keep an eye out for books, roles, or people that would be worth introducing you to. I hold you accountable with empathy and understanding.
6. I notice everything.
From your tone, body language and the words you use, I can see the subtle shifts and hold a mirror up to your beliefs. Clients need to be guided outside their own biases, expectations, and experiences by someone independent. An AI system can only answer the questions and prompts you put in. How can you open your mind if you don’t know where to start?
7. I help you become confident in your skills
When we consider more “AI-friendly” support, such as CV consultancy and interview preparation, as being useful, I want to remind you that I provide critiques based on my 20-plus years of recruiting and coaching, as well as the nuances of the recruitment process. I can make sure that what you say is what you mean, based on the sector and role you work in. This leads to understanding and a more confident you.
8. I’m aware of and constantly check for any bias.
No one is free from bias, and as a coach (and a decent human being), I consistently check in on any assumptions or judgments that may arise. Gen AI is built with the bias inherent in its learning, without awareness. Just imagine the damage that will be caused and already has been. Recent studies have shown that it advises women to ask for lower salaries, as well as showing a bias against older working women.
9. You help pay the bills of a small business
Let’s be real, the only people you are supporting financially when you use these systems are the billionaires looking to spread the use of AI. I speak to people every day who are worried about how technology will impact their job security, so maybe we should consider not feeding the beast? Now, if you don’t have the budget or the matching availability for coaching, you can still access fantastic, qualified support. One way to do this is through my blog, which offers free Q&As and other support.
10. AI is aware of its own limitations
Once I finished this blog, I took the opportunity to ask if generative AI was self-aware of it’s restrictions. It is, when it’s prompted! I asked Perplexity AI about why Gen AI, like itself, and ChatGPT were not a suitable replacement for human career coaching and recruitment advice. What was interesting were the answers given. It listed
“Lacks emotional intelligence & human intelligence, limited personalisation and context awareness, no real-world or industry experience, limited understanding of nuances and strategy, no accountability and ongoing feedback.”
If you had a list of skills challenges for a person, business, or service, would you trust it, even if the advice were free?
I imagine my industry is not the only one that has humanity as it’s number one feature and benefit. What would be the equivalent for your job or industry? I’d love to know.
This isn’t the first time (or likely to be the last) that I’ve written about AI. You can find them here:
Why this Career Coach is wary of AI
How can I future-proof my career against AI
If you would like to speak about how you can work with a 100% human coach, then book a call here.
Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
